AN: First off, I just want to say, I'm very thankful for the feedback I got.

Sadaf Khan: Thanks! I'm glad you like the story. And thank you for wishing me luck…with the way I procrastinate, I need it.

Shahid Kapoor: Twin sisters, huh? So cute! He he…About your questions…I don't think Kikyo will make an appearance in this story. I just want it strictly KagInu…and as for Sango and Miroku…we'll see. I hadn't thought of putting them in, but who knows…it could happen. Thanks for the review!

Totally Kawaii: I'm glad you like my story so far, and yes, it is definitely an Inuyasha and Kagome plot. The chapters 2 and 3 were meant to be combined as one, but I wrote the two parts at different times and didn't feel like waiting to post them…this one will be longer for sure. And thank you for pointing out the spelling error! I felt really stupid about that because when I write, I care a ton about the spelling and grammar.

So with that said, on with the story!

Chapter 4: And So It Begins

The Southern Palace no longer looked like the tranquil and resplendent home that it once was ten years ago. A wall, made of black stone, rose high around the perimeter of the lands, giving the place an ominous feel, a dangerous feel. There was little sound coming from within the area. There were no voices, no laughter. And when a sound was heard, it was a booming cry of masculine voices yelling in unison.

Within the walled area there stood fifty men, each dressed in the armor and color of the Southern Lands; red, black and gold. The great smith Totosai had forged the swords at their sides, so they radiated with fresh power and energy. The men looked clean and their faces held a calm, but slightly angry continence. Two men were separate from this crowd, both in different ways.

One stood a little ahead of the lines of armed men. He was not taller, or bigger, or older than the rest of them, but he had an air of importance about him, or at least confidence in his position. His golden eyes gleamed as he turned toward the second man who was not standing with the large assembly.

This man was standing upon a raised platform facing the men. He too wore armor, but his was only a shoulder plate with spikes running along the top. His dress was that of a prince or king, with long flowing white material, and a sash of blue and purple that fell to the ground. His long silver hair flowed down his back almost to his ankles, and his face was like marble, smooth and perfect. His eyes swept over the crowd, silently pleased with his warriors.

"Tonight," he spoke, his voice resonating against the walls of the palace, "we will face the human army. There numbers are large, and their poisons are deadly, but in the dead of night, their senses will be dulled, and their fear will become our ally."

The man at the head of the army stepped forward, frowning. "Sesshomaru, how many men do they have with them?"

Sesshomaru mirrored the young man's frown as he answered, "One hundred, maybe fifty more."

The younger of the two sighed. "Right." Turning, he spoke to the demon warriors before him. "Let's move!"

In an instant the demons were speeding across the plain; like crickets they jumped across the mountains with effortless ease. The young man with the golden eyes remained far ahead of the rest, scouting and planning his attack. Finally, he was leading them into battle. Finally, he would be able to fight and show Sesshomaru that he was strong.

Finally, he would get revenge for what those humans did to his father all those years ago.

He turned his head and yelled behind him, "The human army is in sight!"

The demons yelled and shouted in reply, eager to fight. Inuyasha smirked. Many of these men simply fought to see the sight of blood. Others did it for glory. But he knew what he was fighting for, and he also knew that this could be his last chance for victory. He saw the large span of humans waiting for them in the distance, swords and possibly poisons in their arson.

Inuyasha grinned. "Keh!" he sneered, "Those sticks wont help them. Their little potions wont do any good." He jumped up and seemed to soar into the sky.

"I'll show 'em what real demons can do!" He cried, and descended into the mass of humans, claws raised, ready to kill.

---I---

Lady Kagome Higurashi sat at her bedroom window, looking out across the green valley of the Northern Lands, the moon high in the dark blue sky overhead. Her head leaned against the edge of the wall, a far away look in her chestnut eyes. Her hands lay in her folded lap, one over the other. She looked the ideal picture of peace. Inside, she was in despair.

A cough sounded from behind her. Without shifting her gaze from the scene before her, she replied, "What is it, Kaede?"

The said woman didn't like the melancholy tone in her ward's voice, and swiftly came across the room with a set frown on her lips.

"Lady, this sulking must cease at once. Your country is in the middle of a war, and you know very well that your uncle has his reasons for what he is doing with the Eastern Lord…"

Kagome turned her head at this. "He's making me marry a forty year old, gray-headed old man!" She cried, her face expressing her indignation and distress. "And it's only so my uncle's armies will grow bigger due to the alliance." She got up from her seat and faced the elderly woman who she thought of as her only family.

Kaede grimaced. It was indeed a shame what this alliance would mean. Kagome was not yet nineteen, and the man she was engaged to was over twenty years her senior. More than that, he had a reputation as being very dull and uninteresting. He spent his time reading scrolls of past wars and having unimpressive conversations concerning the weather. Kagome, a girl who had soon blossomed into a free-spirited and fiery young woman, would hardly be a good match.

"My child," Kaede's frown melted away with sympathy, "this is a time of unrest and battle. This is the worst environment for a young woman to grow up in. But trust me in this: you are strong, and you will be able to endure this ordeal." She held out her arms, and Kagome quickly ran into her embrace, stooping to hug the shorter woman.

"And as always, you have me." Kaede whispered.

Kagome smiled weakly through the growing tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Kaede."

They pulled apart. "Now then," Kaede began, "what shall you wear for tonight's—

"My Lady!" A man, one of the servants, burst forth into the room, panting and sweating.

Kagome stepped forward, her face set with worry. "What is it?" she inquired quickly.

"The demons, Southern Land, attacking, in the forest, edge of our borders." The man spoke between wheezes of breath.

"So close?" Kaede whispered, fear lacing her words.

Kagome, too, was in a similar state of shock. The demons from the Southern Land seemed to be the type of beings that a parent would use in a bedtime story to frighten their children. And even when Kagome found out demons were real at a young age, the thought of actually seeing or speaking to one was impossible. Now, to hear of them so near to the castle, so tangible, made her heart race. Without realizing what she was doing, Kagome took off from the room in a flurry of fabric, Kaede's voice barely reaching her as she rounded the corner of the hallway.

"Wait! My lady, where are going?"

Kagome didn't have time or patience to stop and respond. A part of her, a small, secret part of her, knew why she was going; but she would never actually say so. Ever since she was told of the demon threat just below them on the map, she had been fascinated with their species. There were so many different kinds! And they were so strong, so mysterious. What were they like? She told herself she should have been frightened or anxious at the thought of meeting a demon, but she knew deep down that if she did come face to face with one, she would only be transfixed with curiosity and awe.

So thinking, she sprinted past the guards that yelled to her and told her stop, and made her way into the wilderness, only knowing which direction to run, and hoping against hope that she would not be killed due to her overly inquisitive nature.

---I---

Inuyasha dreamed.

He was running through the woods, fear clenching his heart. His side hurt so badly, but he kept going. Some one was chasing him. He ran faster, and his side hurt even more. He tripped over a tree root and screamed in pain. His stomach! He clutched it in agony. How it burned! He tossed and turned, but suddenly, he was no longer lying on the ground. He was standing. He was walking along outside the palace, his bare feet warm against the sun-drenched wood. It was summer, and the greenness all around him was overwhelming. He smiled, in spite of the fact that the pain in his stomach was still there. But he felt calmer, less panicked. He sighed with contentment. The palace always looked so peaceful in summer…

Slowly, he realized the view before him, the palace and the trees, was growing dimmer, and he was waking up from a very vivid dream.

Shapes and colors swam before his vision as he slowly raised his eyelids. The first thing he noticed was the smell. He was too drowsy to move quickly, but his heart speed up at the scent.

The smell that seemed to waft all around him was decidedly human.

Anxiety gripped him, but also anger. Had he been injured in battle? If so, what was he still doing alive? He tried to see down to his stomach from his horizontal position, and saw the outline of bandages in the glow of the fire next to him. So his injury had been real? Even more puzzled, he moved to sit up, but a hand, porcelain and warm, reached out to restrain his chest. His eyes immediately sought the face of the one attached to that hand.

He was met with a pair of the most beautiful hazel eyes he'd ever seen.

AN: Thank you for reading, everyone. The next chapter will be up and running soon. I hope the suspense isn't too much, he he. Please review, neh?

&Niiroke&